Place Value for Kids: Ones, Tens, Hundreds and Thousands (Grade 3 and Grade 4 Math)

Hi, I'm Luna from DoodleBeez. Today we are exploring place value up to the thousands. Every digit in a number has a job, and its place tells us how much that digit is really worth.

Here is a place value chart. Starting from the right, we have ones, tens, hundreds and thousands. Let's put the number three thousand four hundred eighty two into the chart, one digit in each place.

Now let's find what each digit is worth. The three is in the thousands place, so it is worth three thousand. The four is worth four hundred. The eight is worth eighty. The two is worth just two.

When we write a number as the sum of its place values, we call it expanded form. Three thousand plus four hundred plus eighty plus two makes three thousand four hundred eighty two.

What about a zero? In the number five thousand sixty one, there are no hundreds, so we write a zero in the hundreds place. The zero holds the place so the other digits stay in the right spots.

Now it's your turn. In the number seven thousand three hundred ninety four, what is the three worth? Pause and try. The three is in the hundreds place, so it is worth three hundred.

Great job! Remember, every digit has a place: ones, tens, hundreds and thousands. The place tells you the value, and a zero holds an empty place. Practice place value in the Math Lab at doodlebeez.com. See you next time!